The Mariners have seven prospects ranked in both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline’s top 100. Most of those minor leaguers are at big league camp for Seattle.
Most of the success for the Mariners minor leaguers in the first several spring training games have been on the offensive end. But the organization’s top prospect showed off his defensive acumen during a game against the Athletics on Wednesday.
Seattle trailed the Athletics 4-1 in the top of the third inning. The A’s had the bases loaded with two outs.
Jacob Wilson was at the plate and hit a ground ball to the left of second base that took multiple bounces on the way.
Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson laid out to field the ball and delivered a one-hopper to first baseman Rowdy Tellez to get the out and get Seattle out of the inning.
Emerson is almost universally considered the best prospect in the Mariners organization. Baseball America has him as their No. 16 prospect, MLB Pipeline ranks him the No. 20 prospect and The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him as the fifth-best minor leaguer.
Emerson has been frequently featured in games so far in big league camp. He’s received seven at-bats and is yet to register a hit and has scored once.
Emerson is still just 19 years-old and is less than two years into his professional career. But he’s shown flashes of several tools he’s expected to develop even further.